


Now Its History

by SharkieBubblesDearr



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Game Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11272701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkieBubblesDearr/pseuds/SharkieBubblesDearr
Summary: When you get frozen and thrown into a new scary world, it takes some time for you to process that the things you knew, are now History. This is the case for Evelyn as she tries to make it in the post apocalypse.[[This series will mostly follow the main quest line of the game, with a few minor additions for the sake of character addition.]]





	1. Vault Bound

Nate served in the military, and when he came back from his duty he became a volunteer fireman. This was all prior to him meeting Evelyn. Nate was scarred in an accident while saving a family from a burning building, the gas line caused the window he was at to shatter outward also causing the fire to scorch the left side of his face. Those burns made it very hard for Nate at times but he did he best to press on. Evelyn meanwhile was working on her law degree. For several long years she was practically a hermit. After her graduation she was urged to get out more by her best friend. As it would happen, it was at an annual picnic hosted by the firehouse where Nate and Evelyn met.

            At first Nate thought she would want nothing more than a friendship, he was used to girls thinking his scars were cool…but most wouldn’t get near them with a ten foot pole. As his luck would have it, Evelyn never gave a single shit that Nate was scarred, in fact she loved him all the more for risking himself to save others. After a year and a half of dating he proposed in New York on the day after New Year’s.  Their wedding was a simple ceremony that was made up of their closest friends, and their parents and not many others. They held that intimacy sacred. They were only married a year and three months into their new house when their son Shaun was born.

            Not long after that, they decided to add a metal addition to their family, a Mr. Handy, called Codsworth. All though Nate was hesitant at first to get one. He soon realized how much he really did help, and even seem to care about this role in the household. Their lives were shaping up and just starting as a new family.

            “Ugh…” Evelyn moaned smacking the alarm clock on the bedside table, “ Three more hours at the very least.” She curled up close to her husband, who was already awake.   
            Nate laughed, “ You said that when my alarm went off at six, its nine now, do you plan to sleep the day away?”   
            “Maybe.” Evelyn looked up at him from her spot mostly still under the covers.   
            “Good Morning Sir, Mum.” Codsworth floated in, “Can I get your breakfast started? Shaun as already been fed and it now resting in his crib.”   
            “Yes, Codsworth, bacon and eggs, please.” Nate got out of the bed even at the groaning protest of his wife.   
            “And this one needs coffee.” Nate pulled Evelyn out of the bed by her arms.   
            “No…I don’t want to get up yet.” She sat on her knees, blanket draped over her shoulders.

            “You could sleep more if we didn’t have something to attend this evening.” Nate reminded.

            “Right the dinner is tonight. I almost forgot about that.” Evelyn hit her head with her palm. “Okay, okay. I will get up, but I get the first dibs on the mirror.”   
            “Oh no you don’t I was up hours before you.” Nate was already in the hall.   
            “Ladies first!” Evelyn grabbed his ankle hoping to stop him but he only ended up dragging her to the bathroom with him.

            “We need to get a, his and hers, bathroom set up this is ridiculous.” Nate laughed as he started doing his hair as Evelyn pushed her way between him and the sink to brush her teeth. The two kept at this until surprisingly Evelyn managed to get herself put together first.   
            “See now you can the mirror all to yourself handsome.” She kissed Nate’s cheek. “You are going to knock them dead, tonight.”

            “Thanks Honey.” He gave her a hug, and kissed her forehead, before getting back to getting himself together.

            The morning went on as usually. Codsworth made absurdly hot coffee, Nate read the paper. Then came the doorbell, it was too late to hide. He obviously saw her through the window in the door.   
            “It’s that salesman again…” Nate groaned, “What the world is he trying to sell us anyway?”

            “Might as well find out.” She walked to the door and opened it, “Hi.”   
            “Good Afternoon Ma’am.  Vault-Tec calling, we have been trying to get in contact with you for quite some time.” He started off.   
            “I am here, now.”    
            “…Right..right you are.”  Eveyln noted there was a longer than necessary pause before he continued. He was nervous.   
            “Do you need to sit down or something?” She offered kindly. It completely took him off guard for moment.   
            “No, no thank you Ma’am.” He cleared his throat, “I am here to inform you that your family has been chosen due to their public service to be admitted to the local vault. Vault 111.”  
            “Hm…alright. What do I need to do?” Salesfolk always had a spiel but in this case. It was easier to just ask what he needed.  She figured that he had the door slammed in his a face at least a few times. She wasn’t going to be one of those types of people.   
            “Well we just need to get this pesky paper work, out of the way.” He pulled the pen out of the clip area to have her write down her information, “Alright, full name, at the top, as well as the names of your family members. And a basic write up of you skills.” He handed her the clipboard to fill out.   
            “Here you go. “ She made quick work of that, all her practice filling out her own paperwork had her trained for that.   
            “Thank you Ma’am. Congratulations on being prepared to the future. I will run this over to the vault right away.”  
            “Excuse me, Mr. Rep, for record what is your name? “ Standard business practice, exchange names with anyone you talk to from an organization, that was so drilled into her head she was surprised that she didn’t ask if he needed a lawyer.    
            “My name…Paul.” It was actually sort of stunning someone cared enough to actually ask that in his day to day work with Vault-Tec.

            “I remember will remember that. Good bye, thank you.”   
            “You are quite welcome,” he double checked the page, “ Mrs. Evelyn.”

            Evelyn shut the door and watched him walk off towards the vault. “Nate…why did he walk the papers up to the vault when there is a Vault-Tec truck parked in front of our house still?”   
            “Saving gas?” Nate shrugged, “Think you caught him off guard, Honey.”   
            “Why do you say that?” Evelyn joined him on the couch.   
            “Well, a gorgeous red head comes to the door and invites you sit down in her home, I would think most would have to take a second to catch their breath again. One wow, what a beauty and two wow, what a sweetheart. ” Evelyn laughed curling up on the couch next to him.

            “Real smooth, Sweetie.” Nate wrapped an arm around her shoulders, as she spoke.

            “I try.”

            “Mum. Shaun will not stop crying, I think it’s time for that maternal affection that you are so good at.”  Evelyn got out of her cozy place on the couch.   
            “The life of parents, right?” She smiled to Nate.   
            “Absolutely, you go on ahead I will be there in a bit.”    
            Evelyn walked back to Shaun’s room, and leaned over the side of his crib.   
            “Hey there Little Man, what is the matter huh, did you just want to see Mommy is here.” She reached her hand down and tickled his tummy, getting a giggle out of him, “Yeah that is my Little Man.”

            “That’s my boy, on his best behavior just like his old man…most of the time. “ He laughed, “ Oh, I fixed the mobile on his crib. He loves it.”   
            Upon hearing this Evelyn reached over and gave the mobile a spin. As it played music and spun Shaun cooed in awe at the little rocket ships spinning around above him.

            “You know we should go to the park.” Nate offered, “We could use a little family outing.”   
            “Yeah I think that would be great.” Evelyn smiled and looked back to Shaun again who was still mesmerized by the rocket ships.

            “Sir, Mum you should see this!” Codsworth called from the other room he seemed worried. Evelyn walked out of the room first, leaving Nate to pick up Shaun.

            Nuclear detonations, in Pennsylvania and New York. Several other recorded warheads fired. Evelyn had to listen to the new as it continued coming in to even wrap her mind around what she was hearing. The war had escalated to this already? They had to move.

            “Evelyn, we have to get the vault, I have Shaun.” Nate put his hand on her shoulder drawing her out of her shock.   
            “Right.” Evelyn hopped over the couch and opened the door, she could see that others were already in rush to get to the Vault.   
            Evelyn couldn’t allow herself to consider all the chaos happening around her, she knew that if she focused on it too much she would turn around and try to help others.  It was likely the same thing going through Nate’s head, but the first concern was to make sure that Shaun was safe. That meant they had to get to the Vault as soon as possible.

            As they approached they could hear the panic in people’s voices, people not on the list were being turned away at the gate.   
            “Nate, what about all these people? “ She asked him as they tried to push through the crowd.  
            “I don’t know, Evelyn. I am sure they are going to do all they can.” They made it to the front of the crowd, to see the Vault-Tec Rep arguing with one of the Security Officers.

            “You are not on the list.” The Security Officer at this point was clearly reiterating, by the expression of annoyance on his face.   
            “What do you mean I am not on the list, I am Vault-Tec?!”    
            “You aren’t on the list.” The Security Officer said again, gesturing to a nearby solider.   
            “You can keep me out, I am going in!” Before he could push past the man, the solider was reading a minigun to fire.

            “Whoa…whoa…okay.” The Vault-Tec Rep backed off, “I am telling HQ about this.” He ran back past them.    
            “That was harsh, why aren’t they letting their own people in?” Evelyn whispered to Nate.   
            “I am not sure, Honey.” Nate rocked Shaun a little as he started to squirm.

            “If you are in the Vault program please step forward, otherwise please step aside.” The Officer informed the crowd.   
            “We are.” Evelyn slipped forward, “My son, and husband. An infant. “  
            “Name?”   
            “Evelyn Arda Embers. Husband is Nathaniel Shaun Embers. Son, Shaun Edward Embers.” She listed off their names.

            “Alright follow the solider up ahead.” He stepped out of the way allowing the three of them to pass.   
            “Can we talk about luck for a second…thank God that Vault-Tec Rep got here with our paperwork.” Nate mentioned, as they ran up the hill.   
            “Luck for us, bad luck for him. I am still suspicious.” Evelyn admitted as she got on the elevator platform “How are you and Shaun?”   
            “We are okay. Aren’t we.” Shaun laughed a little he didn’t have a clue what was going on. Thank goodness for that.

            Also on the platform were a few of their neighbors, Evelyn tried to get a bit of conversation out of them. They loaded one more person on to the elevator just in time as a mushroom cloud lit up the sky, and blocked out the sun. It was massive. There was no way there were out of the fallout range of that monster. The elevator started its descent as the blast winds reached them. You would have thought that with the weight and gravity that the elevator would have been faster…even with that…they made it to the vault just in time.

            It was hard to ignore the chatter on the elevator as they made contact with the ground. As soon as silence fell, the Overseer spoke the group.   
            “Welcome to Vault 111, I will be your Overseer. You will be starting your new lives here. Please, head up the stairs we will go over more in the orientation.” Evelyn was her eyes narrowed in on the man, and as other started to ascend the steps she stopped to talk to him.   
            “Excuse me, Overseer. Can I ask you a few questions before we get started? What about the others that are still up there but in close enough to vicinity to the vault are you going to let others in? How long are we to stay in this vault after the fallout radiation clears?” She was a little more prepared and inquisitive than most who were still in shock of barely making it in. Her training as a lawyer kicking in.

            “We will do all we can to help. And we will go over duration of stay during the orientation, please head upstairs.” If that was a rehearsed response then she didn’t know what was, for a group of people that were also just people in the face a nuclear war they were awful calm.   
            “I am sure you can tell me the general plan, since you are the Overseer after all.” Evelyn challenged him. “Is your family in the vault as well? Have you had a chance to hear from them?” She was hoping to strike a nerve to make him talk to her, even though her ways were manipulative she wanted results.

            The Overseer looked at her vacantly for a moment, seemingly stunned. She could practically hear the wheels going in his head as formulated a reply for her. It was clear from his expression he wasn’t confident.   
            “No…but I have been assured that they are in another Vault. “ He shook his head, “It wouldn’t be fair to the others if you were told information before them, orientation will explain everything.” He quickly returned towards urging them forward. But his delay had given her reasonable doubt.   
            “Come on Evelyn, he is not going to tell us anything. We should head upstairs and see we can get someone else to give us more details. “He pat her on the shoulder, and got her to disengage from the Overseer, who looked relieved as she walked away.

            “Something is fishy, Nate. I can feel it.” Evelyn was shifting her eyes around.   
            “Easy there detective, we haven’t proven they broke any laws yet.” Nate tried to reassure her.   
            “I know…this just seems too staged. I am going to try to get the truth out a few more people.” They walked through the scanner, getting checked off a list, and moved into a line to pick up their vault suits.   
            “Excuse me, why can’t we wear our normal clothes? Why is there is a dress code?  Also, can you tell me something about this Vault?” Evelyn questioned the woman handing her the suit.   
            Instantly the woman went deer in the headlights, eyes wide, she caught her glance over the security guard nearby.   
            “…It’s to prevent any pre-fallout radiation from making it into the Vault. These new suits will allow you to be more comfortable in your duties in the Vault.”  There was something…pre fallout radiation, was that even a thing.   
            “You didn’t answer the last question, Miss.” She grilled.   
            “You must wait for Orientation.”

            “When is Orientation? Why is information held so tightly? Are you hiding something?” Evelyn was making the woman sweat, but a Vault Doctor interrupted her questioning.

            Yet another person was saved from the red head’s full lawyer tactics.   
            “Hello Doctor, maybe you can help me? When is orientation, will there be a full detail list of what is going to happen during out stay in the vault, may I see some sort of itinerary, please?” Evelyn asked politely.   
            “You have a lot of questions, Miss?”   
            “Embers. Evelyn Embers. J.D.”   
            “A lawyer?” Now the things he was hearing whispers about made sense, this woman was able to tell that something wasn’t completely right.   
            “Yes. And I haven’t been able to get much information from anyone…” She lingered off as she walked into the next room.   
            The walls were lined with pods, hooked up with all sorts of piping. She was looking at them intently…something was oddly familiar about this set up. She followed the insulated tubes with her eyes, to the pods. They were cold to walk by.

            “Doctor, is it safe for my infant son to be in a pod that cold? “ She looked around the edge of the pod, “Why is there icy build up on the pipes? “ The more she looked at it the more she became reminded of the first time she had to defrost the freezer.   
            “Yes, I can assure you that it will be fine this is just a decontamination pod.” That was a response with no information in it. She shook her head. She was about to unleash the full powers of her law degree, when Shaun started to cry. Even in her heightened aware state that little voice could pull her away.   
            “Honey, can you help me for a moment?” Nate plead a little.   
            “Of course.” Evelyn took Shaun and comforted him a bit, “It’s okay, Little Man, Momma is here.” She took a deep breath, maybe she was just being paranoid, maybe it was the whole new mom thing she read about.   
            “Okay, I will take him, Honey.” She handed him back to Nate, “ It will be okay, I am just going to be right over here. I love you both.” She gave Shaun a kiss on the head and gave Nate a kiss on the lips. “You take care of him.” She teased.   
            “With my life. We love you too.” Nate smiled.

            “Ma’am if you get into your Vault suit so we can be decontamination that would appreciated.” Evelyn did as asked, the Security finally glad that can stop following her around.   
            She changed into her Vault suit. It took a few moments before she finally stepped into the pod. Evelyn watched the lid come down, seeing Shaun and Nate across the way made it easier to deal with. She listened to the recorded voice, everything started to drift to silence, the last words she heard where,   
“3…2…1.”   



	2. Cold Storage

The cold felt like it was wrapped around her brain, it was keeping her from thinking clearly. The recorded voice was talking again but it was so hard to make out the words. The start of the word something, cryo stuck in her mind...it explained the cold. They were frozen alive. Her head was spinning, and she could hear other voices starting to come in clearer.  
            “Here this one.”  
            Evelyn looked up her eyes taking and unbearable amount of time to focus. She could see the cold around her, but through the glass she could see a woman in white, and a man. They were across from her, at the pod that held her husband and child. She brought her hand up to the window.  
            “There, there, let us have him.” The woman attempted to take Shaun out of Nathan’s arms.  
            “No…” it was clear that Nathan was feeling groggy as well from being frozen, “You aren’t taking him.”  
            The man spoke, “Let the kid go.” He raised his arm, Evelyn couldn’t see clear but the end of the arm was dark.  
            “No! You aren’t taking my son.”  
            They struggled for a moment over Shaun, he was starting to cry, as the gunshot rung out. The woman now held her son in her arms. Nate was dead.  
            Evelyn couldn’t make a sound come out. The man walked up close to the pod, he could see she was alive in there.  
            “At least we have a back-up.”  
            The cold female voice chimed back in, and the pod across from her closed back down, not again…not this.  
            “3…2…1…”  
            There wasn’t time to process all her emotions as she went back under the cloud of ice.

            Evelyn gasped and desperately clawed at the pod door as she heard ti start to disengage under the screech of alarm sirens. She coughed violently and fell to the floor, pushing herself up and looking frantically over the pod that held her husband inside. Her eyes darted over to the activation switch, she smacked it hard with her fist. As the pod opened she ducked under it before it could fully raise.  
            “Nate!? Oh my God, Nate!” Evelyn held his face in her hands, there was no fighting the tears streaming down her face, “Goddamn it Nate wake-up!” She brought her hand to his neck, her heart dropped instantly. Her hand fell away.  
            “Don’t worry, Nate. I will get Shaun back.” She vowed through shaking breaths and eyes stung by tears. She looked at the wedding band on his finger. In that moment she brought her hands to his, still cold…now…forever cold. It wasn’t clear to her what possessed her to do it but she pulled the ring from his finger, and put it into her pocket. “I will be back to give you a proper burial, I promise you that, Nate. I love you.”

            Forcing herself to move was the hardest thing to do in that moment, she closed the pod back up…it was better that he stay that way until she could come back. There was some distant hope in her that she was in time to catch her son’s kidnappers that she hadn’t been back in her icy prison that long. The air was stale. It was hard to breathe in. It was now she was able to hear the voice that was over the intercoms talking about how the residents needed to evacuate. She had even more reason to press herself forward, faster... it lead to coughing. She would have to slow down at some point.

            She made it out to the hall, wheezing after looking in the other cryogenic chamber rooms…was she the only survivor. In this situation she needed to sit and catch her breath before moving on. Her body slid down the wall, hitting the ground harder than she intended. It took focus to bring her breathing back to a normal rhythm, she looked up.  
            A trill scream escaped her as, she looked at the glass that lead to the next room. On the other side, for her full view was the underside of a large insect. Easily bigger than a breadbox. There had to be something around to deal with that big nasty bug, if it came anyway near her. On a table, not far from her was a security baton…it was something. It was better than having nothing to defend herself with. It wasn’t much but arming herself made her feel better already…now she also had a means of possibly returning damage as well if she ran into the baby stealers.  
            She walked quietly into the next room watching the floor, suddenly the insect rushed at her ankles. With a swift thwack she ended its reign of terror, leaving its body where it lay.  It was disgusting enough to make her skin crawl as she stepped over it and made her way into something that looked like a living area. It was still a little clean aside from the trash that was about and the thin layer of dust. The air seemed a little more breathable here. In the corner, Evelyn spotted a terminal and rushed over to it. This might be a chance to get some information.  
            “A recreational computer.” She frowned.

            It dawned on her what the presence of this computer meant, at least at one point, people lived in the Vault while she was frozen. The idea that those assholes could sit around and play on a computer. In the terminal was a game, something about ejecting that holotape and pocketing it in pure spite made her feel a little better. What made them think that they deserved to have fun, while they tricked a whole lot of unknowing people into being frozen, when they thought they were being saved from the bombs. She started to pocket more of these things, taking from Vault-Tec even though it was clear no one had been here in a while felt oddly comforting, but ultimately hollow she would learn.  

            It was time to move on, her pockets were full of pilfered items. She darted out into the next area without thinking, or observing her surroundings. The world went white and all of her nerves buzzed with agony for an undetermined amount of time her hands still shook. Upon inspecting her surroundings finally she realized that a piece of malfunctioning equipment in the room had shocked her. She tried her best to shake the tingling out of her system, in this moment of distraction. One of the large bugs from before took the opportunity to bite into her ankle roughly, drawing blood.  
            “AHH!” Evelyn screamed out, simultaneously pulling her leg up. She looked down, and aggressively brought her injured ankle right back down on top of the bug’s head.

            “How many more of these damn things are in here?” She sat down rubbing her ankle, it only did so much could she didn’t any anything to make a bandage from. Evelyn would have make due with limping the rest of the way. Thankfully she felt like she was getting closer to the end, as she made it into a larger room with a desk at the center, a top it a 10mm pistol and a box of bullets.

            There was no one around, why was this just sitting out? Was someone just that unlucky to not get this gun loaded up and use it? She walked up to the desk prepared to grab the gun, but stepped back suddenly when she saw the skeleton laying behind the desk.  
            “Oh my God.” She breathed out stepping back suddenly, she stepped back forward.  It was dressed in a lab coat, which was still oddly in good shape, but the bones were picked clean. Clearly the work of the bugs that were in the vault, she thought.  
            “What happened, where is everyone?”  She finally armed herself with the gun, her hands shook as she loaded the bullets.  
            Her hand put the loaded gun back down on the desktop, as she walked around to look at this terminal. Maybe there was something in this one that would help her out more than that blasted recreational terminal. Something about its presence still pissed her off. She scooted the skeleton out of the fallen chair whispering quietly to the bones that she was sorry. Evelyn sat down at the computer. She had to wipe away a layer of dust before she could see the green letters on the dark screen.  
            “Alright, so this was the Overseer’s terminal…if anyone in the Vault had an idea what the world was going on… I certainly hope at least.” As the files loaded in the “Confidential Overseer” only materials she felt her blood boil, testing on unaware people! She was aware there was something off how could they do this to them! And the ‘EMPTY’ pods were used for corpses… Why not let others in then!? Hot tears poured down her face, all the people outside left for dead and there were EMPTY pods that could have been used? Even if they were just being frozen that would have been better….than…than. She let herself cry. For the loss of people, for her husband.

            It was easy to lose track of time in the Vault. She not sure how long she cried for, but by the time she was able to get herself pulled back together she assumed it must have been nighttime. The sleeve of her vault suit was soaked through with tears, as she remembered that she still had to find her son…maybe…maybe he could still be alive…she continued to look through he computer seeing if there was any way to tell when anything had happened.  Maybe a clue…maybe Shaun wasn’t even a baby anymore, there was no telling how long she had been out.  She forced herself to read more becoming upset all over again at the idea of those that made it in but where no on the list were killed after the pods were loaded up…there was something about a Freeze gun? There was nothing that could tell her about how long she was in there. Or any clue of when that man had taken her child.

            She sighed. Evelyn looked around and at least there was a bedroom nearby.  
            Habit drove her to the bed, laying down instantly knocked her out. The next morning she felt like her eyes were puffy from the evening before. Evelyn came back out to the next room with the computer. She had the terminal open up the evacuation door. She took a few deep breaths before standing back up and making her way for the exit. She stopped herself suddenly, and turned back to the desk, grabbing the gun from the night before. How could she have almost forgotten that? She shook her head, hoping that it would make everything go back to normal, in some sense of the word.  Of course there were even more tunnels before she could get to the exit of this underground tomb.

            More the bugs from the day before came running at her. Her aim was awful, each wasted bullet was more time for pair of insect pinchers to dig into her through the thin Vault suit. The only way to properly deal with these bugs for Evelyn was to switch to pistol whipping the shit out of the bugs. Thankfully that was more affective. Nate had taught her to shoot a gun, but not how to reload and fire in a stressful situation.  
            As she made her way into the next room she spotted on of the gross bugs, her eyes narrowed on the exoskeleton, finally she had the drop on one of these god awful little bugs. She snuck up quietly as the bug nibbled on the coat of a skeleton. She stomped its head in.  
            “Take that!”  
            “Well how the world do I get this thing open?” Evelyn looked at the door, “ Lets see do I remember what was going on at the door?” She walked around to the control panel, “Clearly has something to do with this thing…” In taking a step closer, she heard a crunch under foot as she stepped on a tibia. “ I am so sorry.” She stepped back and noticed the pipboy on the wrist of the skeleton, “Can I have this?” She knelt down and gingerly moved the skeletal arm back towards the body after claiming the pip boy and popping it on to her own wrist. She whipped the screen clean and saw the little pip boy come to life, soon it was synced to her, she wasn’t aware that she had taken that much damage from the roaches earlier.

            “Well I will have to take care of that later…” Evelyn groaned. The pipboy plugged into the controls and allowed her to push the big red open button.

            She activated the couplers, and the machine set to work moving the large gear shaped door away from the entrance, light filled the room, coming from outside…never mind they were just bright humming lights, the same ones that had greeted her on her way into the vault…there was the elevator… she had told him, them that it would be okay.

            It took a moment for the old machine to kick to life, but before long the elevator platform started to rise.


	3. Gone Home

As the vault elevator creaked and lurched upward, Evelyn had a few moments to think.

            ‘What does the world even look like now? Will I be able to live out there? Should I have stayed in the vault and just….’ She shook her head. There wasn’t any more time to think of the ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve ‘scenarios.

            Reflexively her hand came above her eyes as the sun seemed to make a direct path to her eyes, “Has the sun always been that bright.” She groaned, while her eyes adjusted from the artificial to the natural light.  Wandered towards the hill, in search of view she could see the remains of her old home in Sanctuary.   
            Trying to lighten her own mood she joked, “Pretty sure, my home owners insurance doesn’t cover nuclear apocalypses. Or if it does, the claims office is likely already been looted for all that its worth.”

            “Alright, lets see what is useful around here.” Evelyn started to scavenge a bit looking for things that could help her. She had no idea what would. She was a lawyer and never a Girl Scout or outdoorsy type. So, abandoned clip boards, pencils, empty bottles, you name it she was squirreling away into a box with wheels she found. “Okay…let’s go home.”

            As she left the immediate vicinity of the Vault, it didn’t take long for her to see signs of death…skeletons laying the ground so close to the entrance but not permitted inside. “ I am sorry.” She knelt down to the skeleton of a woman. “You didn’t deserve that fate. I hope you are at least resting in peace.”  Evelyn gave the woman a minute of prayer, it could have so easily have been her. She went back to lining her pockets with everything and anything that might be useful. She had no idea what this world after the war would be like.   
            “This box is so heavy…alright let’s see…is there rope anywhere?” Evelyn looked around and eventually settled on using a couple of shoe laces from the dead to pull her little wagon back to the ruins of her home.

            It was a bit stunning to her at first, after however many years it had been that the little wooden foot bridge lasted.  Still the creak flowed under it, but likely about five times more radioactive than it was previously…at least there was something that had changed so little. This was a place she would come to again, she thought…if she ever missed the world before… he sat down on the bridge to collect herself before venturing back into town.  
            “What all did I picked up?” Busying herself by making an inventory of all the things she had taken with her out of the vault, she was trying to keep herself from becoming distraught all over again. She knew it was coming eventually she would need to just cry it all out. But she still was so unsure of the world she was walking into, she couldn’t afford the time to just let the sadness weaken her attention and resolve.

            The time came as the sun started to go down in the sky, it was time to truly head back to her old home. To see if there was anything still there, and if by some chance Shaun and the people that took him were there. She didn’t have much faith or hope in that dream but she would still try to find out what became of her child. Taking a more realistic view of the outcome of finding her son and the killer of husband.

            The layout of the town somehow felt different with houses missing, or collapsed. She walked to the cul-de-sac at the end of the street to orient herself. She swore she could hear music on the radios in the homes but decided that maybe that was just her memories. She stood at the end of the block and looked down the street. Squinting in the setting sun she saw something that came much to her surprise there was a silver orb, bobbing along outside her old home…there was no way…she approached with caution.

            “Is that Codsworth?” Evelyn had to fight running to the silver butler orb. But she had to be certain first.

            This charismatic butler ordb was still here after all this time. She had to fight the urge to hug him too.   
            “Codsworth~”   
            “Ms. Evelyn! As I live and breathe. Thank goodness you are alive.” She smiled with delight, never had she been so pleased about the personality that they picked for him, “Where is Sir and Shaun, weren’t they with you?” her heart sank as she mentioned Nate, and Shaun.

            “Codsworth, someone killed Nate, after we got into the vault, and they took Shaun.”   
            “Mum, these things you are saying. These are awful, this is clearly the worse cause of hunger induced paranoia I have ever seen.” Ever the optimist Codsworh swore it. “ You are over 200 years overdue for dinner.”

            “200?!” She shook her head, she believed him that it had been that long but it was important that she make the situation clear to her butler ball, “I am serious Codsworth. Nate is in a better place. He is dead. And someone took Shaun? Think have you seen anyone? Anyone at all!?” She hadn’t known it was possible for his eye parts to express sadness but they could.  

            She was hearing the sadness in his AI voice, as he wanted to serve and be the wonderful Mr. Handy that he is.”Oh Mum, that is awful…I..I had been trying so hard to keep the house wellkept since you all left, hoping you would all come home. Do you know how hard it is to clean a collapsed shelf or a rusted car?”   
            “It will be okay Codsworth, I am sure that Shaun was out there.” Personally she was not sure she believed that after seeing the state of the world. But she said so to comfort him, and to try to get him to focus back again. She was touched by how much he cared.

            “Mum, I have something for you I think Sir planned to give it to you.” As he started to come back to himself he gave her a holotape that Nate had recorded she would listen to it later, and Codsworth made it easy to wait, he wanted to search the neighborhood for signs of Shaun. Evelyn humored him, and followed him about the shambled town, just to fight more large gross insects. All through out this task his optimism was astounding.

            “I appreciate that you are still here Codsworth, I can only imagine how lonely this place would have seemed without you. “   
            “I do my best to fill the time Mum. I am ever so glad you are back as well.”

            As they explored the last house on the block,  Codsworth finally showed a strain on his optimism. “ Mum, he is not here either. What we are never able to find the young sir again.”

            Evelyn jumped in to rescue his mood, “It’s alright, Shaun must be out there somewhere. We just have to look elsewhere. Whoever took him must have moved on from here already.”  
            “Mum, what about Concord? There are people there still?” 

            “There people still in Concord.” That was just as surprising as relieving, “ What can you tell me about them?”   
            “Well they have only hit me rocks a few times, they are bit rough.”   
            “Alright, that is the best plan we have right now, I will go to Concord but first I want to clean this place up, will you help me?”   
            “Of course, Mum! Shall we start with the living room?” He was all too happy to get back to what he knew best. Cleaning and keeping house.

            It was well into the morning hours as they started their work, dismantling the old piles of wood and metal that used to be houses to make repairs to hers and the others in the neighborhood that weren’t too far gone. In total they were able to save 8 houses on the street. And make them what they both agreed was a livable state. Not quite pretty but nothing some uniform paint jobs couldn’t likely fix. By the time they finished her home’s work it was the next evening. It was time for her to rest.  Codsworth was glad to see her actually sleep after going nonstop as she had been.   
            “Oh Mum, I wish you weren’t hurting.” He powered down for that evening, thinking about what he might do for breakfast the next morning for her.

            When the next day came, Evelyn discussed her plan with Codsworth over some coffee he had found for her.   
            “Alright, so. The best way to see what is out there is to make a system, so how about I make circles out to Concord? “   
            “Circles, mum? “   
            “Yes, as in find a location, and come back to a place I know but try to arch it out to the other side that way I can see what is in the general area still as well as have a safe point of reference. In this case Sanctuary.”

            “I think that is a brilliant idea Mum!” He poured her another cup of coffee, “You will find the young sir in no time with that plan.”   
            She still wasn’t so sure about that. After 200 years there was no telling how long it had truly been since the incident. It could have happened 100 years ago for all she knew.   
            “I will pack a back and make my way to the Red Rocket Station in the morning. With any luck it should be safe as well, it would be a good circle back point for Concord.  I will leave in the morning, today! We fix up the house more, we need some lights in here.”

            “Oh yes Mum, never underestimate some good lighting Mum.”

            They spent the rest of the day preparing for her outing and making sure the house was in good condition. And at Codsworth’s mention decided to plant a turret right outside the house.   
            “I know it’s not the best Mum, but after maintaining my own systems for a while I think I have managed to figure out how to build a simple turret its better than not having anything else.”   
            “Thank you Codsworth, I appreciate the thought behind it. Let’s get some rest, or in your case conserve your fuel. We both have a lot to do tomorrow.”   
            “Right you are Mum, Good night.”

 

 

 


End file.
